Frequently Asked Questions

Most moles are benign overgrowths of pigment cells. Usually they begin as flat brown spots and with time begin to grow and stick out above the skin surface. Most people consider mole removal when they become highly visible areas on the face, neck, cheeks and near the eyes. Moles can also be called "beauty marks" or "birth marks".

Some moles are actually warty growths called seborrheic keratoses. Doctors treat these by freezing or burning them off. True moles cannot be removed except by surgery.

There are three common mole removal options:a shave excision, a punch excision or a regular surgical excision.

In a shave excision, the doctor will tangentially cut the mole off with a sharp scalpel blade. In the punch excision, the doctor will use a small cookie-cutter apparatus and twist the mole plug out. If the mole is larger, a surgical excision will be performed.

Surgery scar: Whenever you remove something from the skin, there will be a scar. Removing moles from the chest, shoulders, and upper back have the highest risk of raised scar formation, however, it can be only a very tiny scar and not so visible.

At home mole removal carries risks. Moles can be a sign of melanoma, a very serious form of skin cancer. Removing a mole on your own doesn't allow you to get a qualified evaluation to ensure you don't have melanoma.

If you have a surgical excision your doctor will use a surgical knife to remove the entire mole or lesion particularly if melanoma is suspected. Your doctor will remove as many layers of skin as necessary in order to get the full depth of the mole or growth. You can expect to get stitches with this type of biopsy.

At Home care:

After the procedure, you need to keep a layer of petrolatum (Vaseline) and a bandage on the wound.

Clean the wound once or twice daily with either water or diluted hydrogen peroxide.

After cleaning the wound, apply the petrolatum and bandage.

These steps are repeated until the wound is healed.

Misconceptions about healing;

Some people think that wounds need to be open to the air and that this helps the healing. Several studies have disproved this and found significantly quicker healing with bandages and antibiotic salve.

There are several scar remedies on the market, ask your doctor which one he/she prefer.

Most moles are benign overgrowths of pigment cells. Usually they begin as flat brown spots and with time begin to grow and stick out above the skin surface. Most people consider mole removal when they become highly visible areas on the face, neck, cheeks and near the eyes. Moles can also be called "beauty marks" or "birth marks".

Some moles are actually warty growths called seborrheic keratoses. Doctors treat these by freezing or burning them off. True moles cannot be removed except by surgery.

There are three common mole removal options:a shave excision, a punch excision or a regular surgical excision.

In a shave excision, the doctor will tangentially cut the mole off with a sharp scalpel blade. In the punch excision, the doctor will use a small cookie-cutter apparatus and twist the mole plug out. If the mole is larger, a surgical excision will be performed.

Surgery scar: Whenever you remove something from the skin, there will be a scar. Removing moles from the chest, shoulders, and upper back have the highest risk of raised scar formation, however, it can be only a very tiny scar and not so visible.

At home mole removal carries risks. Moles can be a sign of melanoma, a very serious form of skin cancer. Removing a mole on your own doesn't allow you to get a qualified evaluation to ensure you don't have melanoma.

If you have a surgical excision your doctor will use a surgical knife to remove the entire mole or lesion particularly if melanoma is suspected. Your doctor will remove as many layers of skin as necessary in order to get the full depth of the mole or growth. You can expect to get stitches with this type of biopsy.

At Home care:

After the procedure, you need to keep a layer of petrolatum (Vaseline) and a bandage on the wound.

Clean the wound once or twice daily with either water or diluted hydrogen peroxide.

After cleaning the wound, apply the petrolatum and bandage.

These steps are repeated until the wound is healed.

Misconceptions about healing;

Some people think that wounds need to be open to the air and that this helps the healing. Several studies have disproved this and found significantly quicker healing with bandages and antibiotic salve.

There are several scar remedies on the market, ask your doctor which one he/she prefer.

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Please note: the information contained on this page is not meant to diagnose any condition or provide conclusive treatment options for a given condition. The final decision on treatments and diagnosis can only be made after a full history is obtained in person, and a physical examination is done.